Saturday, January 30, 2010

(this could be due to the primer I was wearing OR a highlight I used on my cheekbones OR the bronzer?! I think it's the primer...)

2. "Your lashes look fake from here"

(such an amazing mascara that makes your lashes have a BOLD statement! = LOVE; i don't like to fuss with false eyelashes, simply because I suck at putting them on and when I mess up it ruins my eyeshadow, also I don't want to practice.. )

***Just wanted to share this. I'm not trying to be full of myself!! Just thought, I really must be using good face/makeup products to get such wonderful compliments!! These should be HG products then! Comment to know what I used!

***Don't forget to tune in every week for these upcoming discoveries!!! You'll want to try them yourself!! If you can't wait to hear about these awesome discoveries, then leave a comment and I'll try to post them sooner! :)

It's amazing how lipliners can transform the color of the way your lipstick looks in the tube!

I made this awesome discovery when I tried on 3 different lipliners with my current favorite lipstick, MAC Jubilee!! My lipstick mainly took on the color of the lipliner and, in addition, added a nice texture and look. :) Also, in this process, I discovered a dupe for MAC Spirit (satin) lipstick! (stay tuned to find out...)

So, today I had the urge to buy some lipliners! I bought 3 creme lipliner pencils from Wet n Wild:Brandy Wine-#666, Chestnut-#711, and Willow -#712. These were only $0.99 each!!

I tried each of these lipliners underneath either MAC Jubilee or MAC Hug Me.

Chestnut (#711) - medium matte brown with slight orange/red undertone; similar to an indian brown (This color is the darkest of the 3. This to me is a dupe for MAC Spirit lipstick! But, a hint lighter maybe.)

All three of these are beautiful!! I'm already in love with them. They apply so easily without tugging! They don't feel drying, but I did moisturize beforehand. You get a good amount of product; the pencil is 7-8 inches long (that's what she said)! I bought these at Walgreens and they carried maybe 3-4 more lipliners. I would definitely recommend trying these, especially since they are sooo cheap!! Also, they look like they can be dupes to MAC lipliners, especially the WnW Chestnut (but I don't know the names of MAC's nor do I own any, but I saw they have a popular brown/nude one they tend to use on people).

Thursday, January 21, 2010

I saw on a youtube video that a dupe for MAC Lollipop Loving l/s was Wet n Wild 516C l/s. This color is not flattering on me at all! (FYI: I have berry/red pigmented lips and been told to be NC40 in MAC. )

My natural lip color.

WnW 516c lipstick

First, let's talk about the l/s itself, it costs 99cents without tax. It did not seem drying and it applied easily. The picture above of the l/s is true-to-color, orange-red-pink with some shimmer. (Sorry, forgot the actual color of the shimmer, since I already gave this to my cousin.) The shimmer might look like glitter on the l/s tube but on your lips it has a frosty effect. The l/s applied basically true to color on my lips. Also, itseemed a little frosty in appearance.

The above pictures are my lips with the WnW l/s.

I don't think this picture shows how unflattering it is,

nor does it really show that the l/s is true-to-color.

The picture reflects the frosty pink color.

In this picture, it actually looks nice! But don't be fooled!

You know how your lips look when you drink fruit punch, or some other drink, that stains your lips slightly red? Well, that's exactly what my lips looked like, especially when I opened my mouth and you see my inner berry/red lips.

WARNING: I would NOT recommend this l/s color to anyone with berry/red pigmented lips! It's not a good look. HOWEVER, I had my cousins try this on and it looked nice on her. She has much more darker skin than me and her lips are almost a muted brown with slight pink undertone. The l/s on her had a baby pink frosty effect and lightened her natural lip color.

I can't say that this l/s really is a dupe for MAC LL l/s because I don't own MAC LL l/s nor have I tried it on.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

HG status!!! I was using Carmex in the tube and the Walgreen's brand but these were just "ehh decent for the moment". Also, they seem to just absorb into my lips, then my lips would feel dry again and I would reapply. It did nothing to repair cracked skin lips. I exfoliated all the time and these chapsticks did nothing to repair my skin lips. However, once I started using VS Beauty Rush Soothing Lip Balm, I barely had to exfoliate and I notice a big difference in the condition of my lips!

I use this balm every morning and night. It feels light and non-greasy. It has a slight glossy effect on lips. May be slightly sticky?? If it does, it doesn't bother me. It's simply perfect! Barely feels like you even have it on.

On the back of the container, there is a small piece of paper that you can open up and it states the ingredients in the balm. The ingredients are listed below. I think the oils in this product is what makes it effective. I wonder if other balms have these also?

The only thing I don't like is I have to use my finger to apply. I don't like this type of application, which is why I don't bring it with me everywhere and reapply during the day. I only use right after washing my hands. I don't want to contaminate the balm. I plan on taking out a chunk of the lip balm and putting it in a mini jar/sample jar so that I can carry it around; this way, if anything, only a small chunk of the balm will get contaminated.

I highly recommend trying this! It's different from other chapsticks and lip balms I have tried in the past! I think it comes in 3 different colors. I have it in petal soft. They have clear and some other one.

*Check out this website where they have a link of left side that says "MAC Clones". Apparently they attempt to make products very very similar to MAC. I have not purchased from this site nor am I affiliated with them but I saw someone mention it. If you give it a try, please let me know how the products are!

ARENA (satin) - light champagne color, not glittery but does give off a sheen, great for everyday neutral main lid color. It gives the look of people questioning whether you are wearing e/s or not because your eyes just "pop" which is definitely the look I'm going for and was looking for an e/s color that did just that and finally found it! Can you say HG! :)

HYPNOTIZING (frost) - chameleon effect of colors from purple, mauve, brown, gray; color reflected may depend on what other colors are used with this e/s; when swiped with finger may come off chunky but definitely did not have that effect with a brush and applied to lid, great unique e/s color to have

GRAPHOLOGY (matte2) - dark bluish purple with hint of gray, very easy to blend, great for outer v or crease, this color is not sold online at MAC and I think is being discontinued but some MAC counters near you may still carry it because that's where I got mine recently, great color for smokey eyes

*I youtubed videos to depot e/s and found that using a hair straightener to melt the glue was the easiest and fastest way to do it despite the fumes. I would highly recommend this technique because it takes less effort and gets the job done quick! No need for special scissors to cut the plastic or pliers or whatnot. It actually took a bit more effort and time to take off the excess glue stuck on the e/s pan with alcohol and qtips.

***For steps on how to do this, just youtube a video that uses a hair straightener. I used a few slightly different tools:

- metal nail file (single) to remove the e/s from the container, take the e/s pan off, and the e/s sticker

- metal nail file from nail clipper was used to poke through the back of the e/s once the glue was melted to remove it from its black counterpart

- wax paper was placed on straightener plate and e/s was then placed on top of it; this way no glue or plastic or any residue was left on the straightener

The magnetic roll already has an adhesive side which I stuck to the bottom of the e/s pan. This is sandwiched between the e/s pan and the e/s label (the sticker underneath MAC's e/s container). To remove this sticker from MAC's e/s container, I put the container with the sticker side placed onto the straightener and let the glue melt, then I used the nail file to remove the sticker by sticking it underneath the sticker. I stuck the sticker onto the magnet without the use of extra adhesive; the sticker was still sticky after removing it from the container that it didn't need any more to stick to the magnet.

*** If you have any questions on the technique I used or the e/s, please comment.

Sorry, will post a review tomorrow. Post tomorrow will be about my first time to depot MAC e/s and how much I like the new e/s in my first palette!

Also, I might start posting 2 reviews a week or as I feel, but will definitely have at least one a week! The reason I chose to do a review once a week was because I felt I didn't have enough makeup to review, however now I feel I have so much to say and share with the products I have that I just can't wait a whole 7 days to share! :)

I will take requests on makeup you would like reviewed into consideration and at which time these request reviews will be posted weekly.

Since I failed to do a review last Sunday, here's a package deal on reviews for the products I use as part of my skin care routine. I have combination skin: dry in the winter and fairly oily in the summer, and sometimes an oily T-zone.

My review: This face wash is amazing! I have dry skin in the winter and this leaves my skin feeling moisturized, smooth, and fresh! After washing my face, there's a cooling sensation and my skin feels so soft to touch. However, I still have to moisturize. The texture is quite creamy and you're suppose to "add water and work into a lather". You only need a small amount- about dime size and mix with water and in circular motions I apply onto my face. The smell isn't unpleasant- just fresh. I feel that the beads exfoliate my skin every time! My skin used to have some dry patches but after using this product those patches are gone! Also, the areas of redness on my face were reduced when using this. I been using this product for about a month without any problems, and I even notice less breakouts! :) Definitely, recommend trying this!

My review: I use this every night after washing my face. I apply a small amount of product on my acne. It dries clear and leaves a clear film where applied. The next morning I notice that my acne is less red and even reduced in size! Definitely recommend trying this product if you have small breakouts here and there!

Face Moisturizer: Clean & Clear Oil-Free Dual Action Moisturizer

"Moisturizes dry skin; treats & helps prevent pimples"

Active ingredient: 0.5% salicylic acid

Price: ~$5-7

My review: This is a cheap and decent moisturizer. I been using this for a couple years now. I still have breakouts every now and then while using this product and the only thing I feel this does is moisturize. This product doesn't feel greasy. It's a cream and absorbs fairly quickly onto skin. Throughout the day, my T-zone may get oily (but it can also be due to the food I'll eat). I don't have much to say about this. I'd recommend this if you are looking for a cheap moisturizer.

About Me

*Sorry for a plain blog, I haven't had time to spice it up, but soon, soon I hope! Anyway, these are my personal reviews of beauty products and random thoughts I may have. For your reference, this is my physical profile: dark brown/black hair; NC40; berry/red/pink pigmented lips; dark brown eyes
DISCLAIMER: I am not being paid to endorse any particular product featured on my blog. I am not sponsored by any company nor are any of the products mentioned here sent directly to me for review.